Thailand Yoga Teacher Training with Volunteering

Practice Karma yoga and selflessly give for the benefit of others while preparing yourself to be a certified yoga teacher in this course. It is Samma Karuna's mission to cultivate a lifestyle that fosters inner growth and helps people to rediscover meaning and purpose in their lives. They believe that everyone already has everything it takes to create a peaceful, equitable, and sustainable existence. They just need to renew their relationship with themselves, their community, and their environment.

Highlights

Daily yoga classes

Daily meditation sessions

Unique program of training

Free access to a four-week Awakening and Healing program upon completion

Yoga Alliance diploma certification

1 daily healthy vegetarian food

28 nights accommodation

Skill level

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Styles

Accommodation

Samma Karuna is nestled amongst the palm trees, beautiful beaches, and jungle landscapes of Koh Phangan. The island is a perfect environment for self-discovery and self-development. There are many lodging options available in the area offering a wide range of amenities. All of the rooms have their own private bathrooms.

Type A

Comfortable and spacious bungalow room with amenities and sea view.

Type B

Standard private medium range bungalow with air conditioner.

Type C

Simple and clean bungalow with fan or standard medium with air conditioner shared with another student.

Facilities

Yoga halls - Two wooden fully-equipped yoga halls nestled in the forest of Koh Phangan and just 200 meters from the beach.

Welcome center - Samma Karuna is happy to serve you in anything they can to make your stay with them as positive and productive as possible. The kind staff members are there to help with any issues.

Free Wi-Fi - Free Wi-Fi hot-spot is available for students and guests.

Free water - Free filtered water is available at the school.

Samma Karuna 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Thailand Program

Certifications

Upon completion of this yoga teacher training, students will receive certificate affiliated with Yoga Alliance. Registration with Yoga Alliance provides a globally recognized credential.

Eight reasons to take your training with Samma Karuna

Real school of yoga - Samma Karuna is a school that runs throughout the year. The team of senior teachers fully embraces yoga as a lifestyle and path of liberation.

Non-dogmatic - the school embraces yoga, tantra, Buddhist values, and modern science research as part of the course, whilst maintaining a non-dogmatic and open minded approach, as foundation pillars of the school.

A heart school - Samma Karuna is based on the development of qualities of the heart such as simplicity, love, kindness, and compassion representing the spiritual heart of South East Asia.

An exceptional program - the non-dogmatic and scientific approach allows them to provide an exceptionally complete, organic program of training.

An intensive course in a fun, relaxing environment for you to learn - Samma Karuna believes that life is for learning but also for celebrating, therefore, Samma Karuna provides a fun, relaxing environment where learning and celebration go hand-in-hand.

A free internship for recently graduated students - the program offers a free internship to teach yoga at their school (optional), for those students that would like to deepen their experiential teaching skills. This is valid for one year after obtaining your certificate.

A community and family - Samma Karuna is not just a school, but also a community of friends and family that practices a conscious lifestyle and takes care of each other. You can volunteer and receive 20% discount: By volunteering with Samma Karuna for an extra month, you are entitled to a 20% discount on the course regular price. The prices listed in the package has already included the discount.

Location - the beautiful yoga school by the beach is located in Koh Phangan, the second largest yoga center of South East Asia and one of the most beautiful islands of Thailand.

Topics covered

The program covers all Yoga Alliance requirements but also includes an exceptional study of yoga techniques and practices.

Sundays are days off. During the four weeks, the time schedule will be the same, but the topics will change according to the program.

Requirements

Prerequisites to enroll in the Hatha Yoga Teacher Training 200 Hour Course are previous experience on yoga practice, an open flexible mind, commitment to learning, and motivation to become a yoga teacher. A high level of self-discipline is required during the course as it is physically, mentally, and spiritually demanding but also highly rewarding.

You must be able to read, speak, and comprehend English with a satisfactory degree of fluency.

Volunteer with Samma Karuna to avail of these special package prices

By volunteering with Samma Karuna for two to three hours a day, you can practice Karma yoga and selflessly give for the benefit of others. Volunteering is typically done at the school or in nearby areas. They have programs to volunteer at Phangan Animal Car

e, work at an organic farm, or help at the school in activities such as assisting in classes, Welcome Center duties, distributing flyers, etc.

The volunteering is offered either four full weeks before the Teacher Training Course starts (recommended) or four full weeks immediately after your Teacher Training Course finish. In exceptional cases, volunteering can be allowed during your course as well.

What are the requirements to be a volunteer?

Samma Karuna actively works to develop empathy and compassion. By bringing their light and energy forth, they help to open up people's hearts, ease each other's suffering, and cultivate long lasting happiness.

The community program is designed for people that have worked on themselves for a minimum of one year, and feel like taking the next step on their path by helping others. You will bring your positive energy and attitude to the school students, whilst being part of the mindful community team that sustains the energy that heals and supports student’s growth.

What kind of community work is required during your training?

Community work is divided into three areas, work at the school, assisting the local Thai community, and work on environmental projects. For examples, they have programs to clean the beaches, volunteer in Phangan Animal Care or the local kindergarten, and gardening. You can also assist in classes, help at the welcome center, or distribute flyers, etc.

YTTC Dates

2018

January 8 - February 4

February 12 - March 11

March 19 - April 15

May 7 - June 3

July 2 - July 29

September 10 - October 7

November 5 - December 2

Instructors

Satyama

Satyama integrates the healing benefits of yoga from the experiments with her own body and uses this knowledge to help others in developing a deeper mind and body connection. She is passionate about bringing the teachings of the east to the west and has taught yoga and meditation in India, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Doni

Doni is an experienced and certified Hatha yoga teacher who trained in India. He has over 10 years of experience in yoga and has worked as a full-time yoga instructor for the last six years. Yoga is his biggest passion in life, professionally and personally. Coming from a background of martial arts, he has vast knowledge and skill with regards to movement, anatomy, and the physical and mental bodies working together. Doni is also a senior yoga instructor at Samma Karuna.

Location

Samma Karuna is located in front of the beaches of Koh Phangan, a paradisiac island in the Gulf of Thailand. The accommodation is nestled amongst palm trees, beautiful beaches, and jungle landscapes with stunning mountain views. Thong Sala city center is only a 15-minute drive away. Crossing the street from the school, you will find an ATM.

Also you will be able to enjoy "Art Café" - a very famous and cozy coffee shop. The shopping villa Srithanu is just a 5-minute walk away and there you can find supermarkets, a recreational aquatic center as well as restaurants serving both local and international food.

Nearby places

Food

You will be provided one vegetarian meal a day. You may eat healthy and tasty food served at Samma Karuna's vegetarian and vegan restaurant. Monosodium glutamate, sugar, industrial salt, gluten, refined oil, or artificial flavoring are not used. The menu is designed to optimally support you in your yoga practice.

Things to do (optional)

The location of Samma Karuna is also perfect to enjoy the most popular tourist attractions of Koh Phangan. You can experience popular attractions such as diving, trekking, visiting the Thong Sala night market, enjoying Thai cooking classes, dip in the pools, taking a massage shower, resting in beautiful beaches with incredible sunsets, discovering waterfalls, and being amazed by beautiful natural landscapes!

What's included

28 nights accommodation

200 hours of instructions

Certified Yoga Alliance diploma

Daily one healthy vegetarian food

Free access to Samma Karuna's Awakening and Healing program once finishing the course

Optional internship at the school for graduate students

Unique program of training

How to get there

Arrival by airplane

You may book your flight to Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) in Bangkok. From there, you may fly to Samui Airport (USM). Between Bangkok and Koh Samui, there are many daily services run by Bangkok Airways. Flying time about 50 minutes. A connecting ferry will have to be taken from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan (see ferry info below).

From Bangkok, you can also fly first to Surat Thani Airport (URT). Air Asia flies from Bangkok to Surat Thani daily, flying time is about 50 minutes. The transfer from Surat Thani Airport (URT) to Donsak ferry port is by coach or taxi and takes about one hour and 30 minutes. At Donsak, you transfer to the Raja ferry to Koh Phangan which takes three hours. Whilst the overall journey is longer than flying directly to Koh Samui, it can be cheaper to fly via Surat Thani, depending on the time of year.

Arrival by bus

There are many bus services from Bangkok to Koh Phangan. Most of these are sleeper buses. They can be booked from travel agencies in Bangkok or by going to the central bus station (Sia Thai). The journey takes about ten hours to Donsak, the ferry port for boats going to Koh Phangan. From Donsak, the journey takes around three hours to Koh Phangan. Usually, the ferry is included in the price of the bus.

Arrival by ferry

There are ferries from Samui To Koh Phangan. The Seatran ferry leaves Koh Samui at 08:00 and 13:00. The Lomprayah ferry leaves Koh Samui at 08:00, 11:15, 12:30, and 17:00. The Seatran pier is located near the airport, approximately a ten-minute drive and the Lompraya pier is located 50 minutes from the airport. The Lompraya pier is 50 minutes from the airport. Please take this into consideration when booking the rest of your journey. Ferries arrive in Koh Phangan at Thong Sala pier.

From Koh Samui airport, there is a shuttle service going to the ferry ports for Koh Phangan. This is usually available as a free service. Please ask for this service when you purchase the ticket for the ferry in the Seatran / Lompraya ferry counter as you exit Koh Samui airport.

Arrival by train

Trains leave Bangkok several times daily, the journey time is about 12 hours. Sleeping booths are available for some services. Leaving the train at Surat Thani, the transfer by coach or taxi from Surat Thani station to Donsak pier takes about one hour. From Donsak, the ferry journey takes three hours to Koh Phangan.

There are two companies that run luxury coach services from Bangkok to Chumphon, which takes about six hours. At Chumphon, you transfer to a large express boat that stops at Koh Tao before arriving at Koh Phangan. The boat journey from Chumphon to Koh Phangan takes about three hours.

Arrival by taxi

Local taxis are available from the pier. Please inform the taxi to go to Samma Karuna Srithanu. Please print out instructions in Thai to give to the taxi driver, this will avoid any unnecessary delay and frustration. Taxis are approximately 200 to 300 THB per person.